Best Leg Strengthening Exercises for Women Over 40 Who Enjoy Hiking in East Tennessee
Why miss out on a gorgeous fall hike because of a bum knee or creaky ankles? These three exercises will move you from feeling like you’re unstable or unable to confident and capable so you can enjoy pain free hikes with strength and endurance.
Exercise #1
What: Offset lunge
Why: Uneven trails make for awkward and off-center strides. These lunges challenge your center of gravity while still keeping you moving forward. Having your front leg just outside of center will help to strengthen the less frequently exercised muscles of the inner and outer calf, thigh, and hip.
How: Start in a standing position with feet together, abdominals engaged, and posture tall. Take a large step forward and out to the side about 12 inches with both feet facing directly forward. Keeping about 70% of your weight on your front leg and keeping shoulders over your hips, bend the knees until you reach 90 degrees on each knee but without touching the back leg on the floor. With the front foot and heel, push back to starting standing position. Alternate legs performing 10 – 20 repetitions on each leg.
Exercise #2
What: Side Lunge to 1 Leg Balance Hold
Why: When hiking, you rarely if ever have both feet on the ground at the same time (in fact, this is true of walking too). An unstable terrain requires additional balance and agility. Performing a dynamic movement in one direction only to change it and follow up with a one leg balance mimics having to step sideways up rocks or stepping over logs. Both side lunges and one leg balance holds help to strengthen the ankle, legs, and hips. They also develop neurological awareness called proprioception which helps the central nervous system to sense body position and limb movements that are essential for balance.
How: Start in a standing position with feet together, abdominals engaged, and posture tall. Take a large step to one side bending the knee to 90 degrees as you land while continuing to keep the opposite leg straight with both feet facing forward. With the foot and heel of the bent leg, push back to an upright position while balancing on the straight leg. Hold the balance for 3 – 5 seconds. Repeat on the same leg 10 repetitions.
Exercise #3
What: Knees Over Toes
Why: There was once a thought that said we must absolutely without question never ever never never ever let our knees press forward over our toes when we are exercising in the gym. Seems like safe and sound advice until you crawl on the floor with your grandchild, lunge down to fill the dog’s water dish, or do any activity related to daily living including hiking. We are made to move beyond 90 degrees.
When done correctly with the help of a certified professional, deep, controlled lunges, with toes and ankle flexing beyond 90 degrees can actually help improve joint mobility and stability not only in the knee but also at the toe, ankle, and hip joints. This increased range of motion prevents injuries, strains, and sprains by improving the strength and flexibility of the ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues around joints.
How: Starting from a kneeling position on the floor with shoulders over hips, shoulders and hips squared off facing forward, both knees at 90 degrees, and back toes tucked under, squeeze your glutes and slowly shift your weight forward to the front leg and foot allowing your knee and ankle to move as far as is comfortable without pain or overstretching. Return to starting position. Repeat 10 – 20 times. As flexibility and mobility increases, you can perform this movement starting with a standard lunge with the back knee off the ground followed by the forward lean. All movement should be pain free range of motion.
In the MOTIVFIT training studio we have special tools to allow us to be able to mimic unstable surfaces to help make you feel strong and capable on your next hike, but trying these at home on a steady floor can also a great starting challenge to incorporate into your regular exercise routine. No more tired and achy joints! With these 3 exercises you can get outside and start enjoying your fall hikes.
If you need some personalized coaching for your fitness and are interested in a training program we can put together for you to help you power through your hikes, click here and schedule a free strategy session today!
